A rendering of the $105 million 833 East office building shows a sky bridge across Michigan St. that would connect it to the U.S. Bank Center.

Assuming each is developed, the 44-story Couture hotel and apartment tower and a neighboring 17-story office building proposed for downtown Milwaukee would be within about 80 yards of one another.

That shouldn't be a surprise, said Couture developer Rick Barrett.

"What do tall buildings love?" he asked. "Other tall buildings."

Barrett and Mark Irgens, whose namesake firm is developing the offices, are adjusting their plans so the buildings better complement each other, with a focus on not blocking views of the future office tenants. Meanwhile, they continue to seek financing, as well as zoning permission and other government approvals, before construction can begin on the developments. Both were announced this summer.

Together, the buildings would create a $225 million investment and boost larger plans to redevelop the area overlooking Lake Michigan near O'Donnell Park.

Irgens wants to develop a 17-story, 350,000-square-foot building at 833 E. Michigan St. to be anchored by Godfrey & Kahn. The law firm would move there from the Marshall & Ilsley/BMO Harris Bank building at 780 N. Water St.

The proposed office building site is now a parking garage used by the tenants of U.S. Bank Center, 777 E. Wisconsin Ave. It's tucked between U.S. Bank Center's main parking structure and the underused Downtown Transit Center. Milwaukee County is thinking about selling the transit center to Barrett, who would demolish it to make way for the Couture.

Known as 833 East, the $105 million office building would include a sky bridge across Michigan St. to the U.S. Bank Center, which is downtown's tallest office tower. Other planned features include a fifth-floor terrace, a Wisconsin Athletic Club fitness center and a street-level restaurant.

Irgens is seeking additional tenants to help secure a private loan to finance construction. Irgens also has been in talks with Department of City Development officials about possible city financing for 833 East's parking structure.

Any city financing, to be repaid through the new development's property taxes, would require Common Council approval.

Issues to overcome

Less than three weeks after Irgens made his June announcement, plans for the $120 million Couture were disclosed. The County Board in July authorized County Executive Chris Abele's administration to begin negotiations on an agreement to sell the transit center site at 909 E. Michigan St. to Barrett. A sale proposal would need board approval.

One likely financing source would be the AFL-CIO's Housing Investment Trust. That union-led group previously provided a $41.4 million loan, backed by a federal guarantee, for Barrett's 30-story Moderne apartment and condo tower that was completed at 1105 N. Old World Third St.

The Moderne also received $9.3 million in city loans, but no such assistance is expected for The Couture. However, the city might pay for street work and public pedestrian bridges tied to the building.

While Barrett will negotiate the transit center purchase, he's focused more on resolving the issue of whether the development site sits on filled lake bed.

The Wisconsin Constitution's public trust doctrine says the state owns navigable waters in trust for public purposes, and those lakes and rivers "shall be forever free" for public use and enjoyment. Court decisions have interpreted the doctrine largely to bar private development on former Lake Michigan beds that were filled in and converted to dry land.

The 2.2-acre transit center site is built largely on former lake bed, according to a survey commissioned by Preserve Our Parks, which opposes redeveloping the transit center for private use.

Barrett said legal and historic research makes a compelling case that the doctrine doesn't apply to the transit center site. He declined to comment further until the state Department of Natural Resources, which enforces the doctrine, issues a ruling. That is expected this fall.

Working together

Meanwhile, the Couture plans now call for shifting the building roughly 10 to 15 feet to the south on the transit center site, Barrett said. That would help improve the lakefront views for tenants in the neighboring office building.

Also, Barrett is now planning to put two floors of the Couture's parking structure underground, reducing it from seven stories to five stories to help improve the office tenants' views.

In turn, Irgens said his firm is moving 833 East farther north on its site to help reduce any obstruction of views by the Couture.

The potential conflict between the two buildings is lessened by the fact that the Couture is thin, with each floor about 9,000 square feet, compared to the office building's 26,000-square-foot floors, Irgens said.

The two developers also have discussed creating a street-level galleria connection between the two buildings, with 833 East's galleria fitness center serving as an amenity for the Couture's hotel guests.

The office building and the Couture would be a big start toward a larger redevelopment of the area near O' Donnell Park, including the possible removal of nearby I-794 ramps to open up land south of the Couture site for new construction. State Department of Transportation officials are considering a city request to remove the ramps.

"What we're trying to do is put us in a position where there's synchronicity between the two buildings, and make the location as dynamic as it can be," Barrett said. "And that doesn't happen unless we're working together."